On Friday, January 30, the inimitable Catherine O’Hara passed away after a brief illness. Like so many of you, I was absolutely devastated by O’Hara’s death. I’ve watched so many different clips and montages of her performances, interviews, awards show appearances, and even the very moving eulogy she gave at John Candy’s memorial. Mr. Rosie and I also rewatched Best in Show and A Mighty Wind in her honor. Gosh, she was so prolific.
Catherine’s final roles were as Patty Leigh in The Studio and Gail Lynden in The Last of Us. Both parts earned her nominations at last year’s Emmy Awards. The Emmys, held in September 2025, were also her last red carpet appearance. Filming for the second season of The Studio started last week, and reports say that Catherine had to pull out due to “personal reasons.” On Tuesday, Apple TV is having a press day in Santa Monica to showcase its streaming content. The Studio was scheduled to be a part of it with Seth Rogen, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, and Chase Sui Wonders appearing as panelists. Unsurprisingly, the series has been withdrawn from the event. Apple and Lionsgate also released a nice statement honoring Catherine.
The Studio team has withdrawn from Apple TV‘s press day, to be held early next week, following the death of star Catherine O’Hara.
“We are all heartbroken by the loss of Catherine O’Hara,” read an Apple and Lionsgate statement to members of the press. “An undeniable legend, icon, and incomparable talent, Catherine elevated every project she was a part of, including the singular genius she brought to her role on ‘The Studio,’ and every transcendent performance she gifted to us. Her artistic accomplishments will forever bring humor, light, and love for generations to come, and her brilliance and generosity of spirit touched everyone around her. We will hold her in our hearts always, and extend our thoughts and deepest sympathies to her husband Bo, and children, Matthew and Luke.”
Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn and Chase Sui Wonders — the cast of the screwball industry comedy — were among dozens of panelists scheduled to participate in a streamer-wide press day held at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar Feb. 3. Per programming details, O’Hara was not slated to attend.
The beloved and multi-talented comedian, writer and actress death Jan. 30 at the age of 71 following a brief illness was profoundly mourned by Hollywood and the world over. Her inimitable comedic timing gave rise to an extraordinary and varied career that gave audiences roles like Kate McCallister in Home Alone, Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Patty Leigh in The Studio. The two-time Emmy winner was also a skilled dramatic performer, most recently exemplified in her guest turn as Gail in HBO’s The Last of Us.
Her co-stars on The Studio penned loving tributes to the veteran actor. Rogen, who co-created the series, which is currently in production for its second season, stated, “Really don’t know what to say… I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honour. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.”
Having The Studio bow out of Apple TV’s press day was a no-brainer, for all of the obvious reasons. I’m glad they did. Moira Rose may have wanted them to push on and shower her with praise, especially during awards season, but Catherine was private, so I don’t think she’d want to distract from something like this. That said, Catherine was so good on The Studio! It will be very difficult to write her out, but I have a feeling that they’ll do her and her character justice. Let’s face it, though: even if it’s just as funny and ridiculous as she’d want it to be, it will still be sad.
Seth Rogen’s tribute and the picture was so lovely. Ike Barinholtz and Bryan Cranston also had some really moving statements, as did so many of the other actors she’s worked with. In fact, so many actors posted moving tributes touting what a wonderful person and mentor she was. Most of them made me emotional, especially the ones from Macauley Culkin, Eugene Levy, and Daniel Levy. Catherine was clearly a woman who made everyone around her want to be better actors. The fact that she also worked with so many different actors and directors over and over again is also a testament to her talent and professionalism. In the words of Alexis Rose, ”Goodbye to a great actress😎”.
photos via Apple TV+ press and Instagram. The photos from the “Golden Globes” are from a scene on The Studio, not the actual Golden Globes.
Beautiful tributes…
You’re not alone with the rewatches Rosie… and thank you for linking to “goodbye to a great actress” (both Annie Murphy – and Emily Hampshire especially – have posted lovely and loving memories and sentiments).
I’m still so shocked she’s gone.